It was a joy to welcome over 120 members for an afternoon of food and fun at AU Tenleytown. RPCVs from the very first groups rubbed shoulders with brand-new arrivals, bringing with them the latest news from their countries of service. Extra special thanks are in order to RPCV/W's Special Events Director, Laura Casas, Special Events Committee volunteers Dina Navar, Alison Thieme & Gloria Levin, and the good people at American University Washington College of Law.

You asked for awesome, high quality RPCV/W products that adhere to our community values and we delivered. We sourced our summer swag from local, women-owned businesses to bring you great quality at a great price. Read on to learn more and pre-order yours!

How do you celebrate a life after it’s gone? Some prefer solemn rituals, monuments, and stoic meditation. Others rely on music, celebration, and laughter. In America, generally, it’s an uncomfortable topic to reflect on the life and death of another. Yet we grow as individuals and as a community upon that reflection. This is especially true in the context of Peace Corps Volunteers.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of the National Capital Region,
Continue in your pursuit of international engagement by becoming a Community Sponsor at the National Defense University, the Department of Defense’s leading academic institution dedicated to national defense and international security cooperation.
Be a fireside diplomat and cultural ambassador to one of the 100+ senior ranking international military officers from 60+ different countries as they spend a year in the United States earning their Master’s Degree from NDU.
Community Sponsors do not provide the officer with monetary or lodging support; instead, they form a relationship with the officer, helping them in gaining a nuanced understanding of the United States. Some examples of the role of the Community Sponsor would include inviting the officer over for dinner, celebrating American holidays together, going to a sporting event together, going to a museum together- whatever is of interest to both the Sponsor and the officer.

Participate in the 2017 RPCV/W t-shirt design challenge! Submission is open to current RPCV/W members.
Use your talent to create a design inspired by the RPCV/W mission: To foster a community of RPCVs and friends in the Washington, D.C. area that embodies the spirit of the Peace Corps.
The submission phase will run from now through March 3, 2017. Please send your submissions to development@rpcvw.org.

Breaking into International Development during the Federal Government Hiring Freeze
There has been a lot of talk lately in DC about how people can still break into the field of International Development despite the current Federal Government hiring freeze that has taken into effect. Below are ten ways you can get into the field of International Development without applying to USAID.

Happy New Year!
Are you looking for a new job?
To be promoted at your current job?
Maybe looking to move into a new field? Or after this crazy election season, a new planet?
While we can't help you with interplanetary moves [maybe Elon Musk can (Elon what ? click here)], the RPCV/W mentoring program can help you improve your job hunting and career development on this planet.